This invention relates to suspended ceiling structures, and more particularly pertains to a wooden, arched suspended ceiling framework assembly which can support ceiling tiles, glass panels, lighting fixtures, etc., for creating an arcuate overhead ceiling.
The home improvement and the home remodeling industry are multi-million dollar businesses whose popularity is growing rapidly as individual homeowners in large numbers take up hammer and drill, router and circular saw, to modify, improve or redo their residences. For example, one of the more popular home improvement projects, which can be accomplished by both professionals or the homeowner, is putting in a finished game room. Adding wood paneled walls, wallpaper, moldings, a chair rail, and baseboard turns a cement block basement into an attractive playroom, TV room, and entertainment room. The transformation is completed by adding overhead lighting fixtures and a drop ceiling.
The typical drop ceiling structure includes starter pieces for securement to the walls of the room to form a perimeter structure about the room. The starter pieces are spaced from the ceiling a predetermined distance and then main channels or runners are disposed in spaced relationship to each other for extension from one starter piece to an opposite starter piece. Crosspieces are then mounted to the channels and starter pieces perpendicularly thereto. In addition, the main channels are further secured by wire hangers that have one end attached to the channels and the other end attached to a fastener, such as a threaded eye hook or wood screw, secured into the overhead ceiling beam or joist. Thus a grid network is defined for receiving ceiling tiles, panels, overhead lighting fixtures, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,200 (Young) discloses a wooden suspended ceiling system which supports standard ceiling panels but is also designed to expose certain parts of the wooden ceiling system to view in order to enhance the aesthetic aspects of the system. The Young invention discloses a plurality of wooden runners extending in one direction, and a plurality of wooden cross members supported by the runners and extending in a direction perpendicular to the runners. The cross members serve as spacers for the main runners and define a plurality of openings; the runners and cross members support ceiling tiles and close the openings. The main runners and the cross members each have an upraised central sill portion and a groove on either side of the longitudinal central sill portion. Outboard of each groove is a lip which has an upper horizontal face higher than the groove but lower than the central sill portion. The main runners and the cross members are adapted for interlocking fit to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,709 (Peterson et al.) discloses a wooden suspended ceiling assembly that includes a wall-mounted support and beam assembly. The beam assembly comprises a plurality of main beams and a plurality of cross beams with the ends of the cross beams grooved to form an interlocking fit with the side extensions of the main beams. Wood blocks can be attached to the intersections of the cross beams with the main beams for strengthening and further support.
While the above inventions provide a suspended ceiling system, they do not provide the user with the option of constructing a flat or an arched ceiling from easily assembled, pre-cut pieces.